Spanish Golden Age Painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Spanish Golden Age Painting - Essay Example From a political point of view the Spanish Golden Age lasted from the mid fifteenth till the late sixteenth centuries, but paradoxically reached a cultural and artistic climax when the country was in a state of political and economic decline, between the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In a time as significant as the Spanish Golden Age from a religious and historical point of view, the surrounding influences of class, gender, and religion, including issues of patronage, are extremely important. In order to understand the circumstances surrounding and influencing the artists discussed, attention will be given to the surrounding historical circumstances, while biographical details will be used to connect the work of art with the surrounding historical factors. At the same time, the unpredictability with which artistic genius reacts to its surrounding circumstances will be respected at all times. Research QuestionDiscuss Power and Control in Spanish Golden Age painting , focussing on the visual image as a representation of the social order in Spain's Golden Age (15th-17th centuries) and the influence on the Catholic Counter Reformation in Spain. An overview will be given of the historic and religious circumstances surrounding the following Spanish artists from the golden age: Sofonisba Anguissola (1532- 1625) El Greco (born as Domenikos Theotokopolos (1541-1614), Francisco de Zurbaran, (1598-1664) and Diego Velsquez (1599-1660).The study also intends to show how these historical and religious factors have influenced each individual artist and his or her work, depending on his or her class or race. The works that will be discussed are a self portrait by Anguissola, a self-portrait of the Zurbaran as "St Luke Painting the Crucifixion", a portrait by El Greco of "The Great Inquisitor Don Fernando Nino de Guevara" and Velsquez's famous "Portrait of "Pope Innocent X" and "Las Meninas."In the case of the female Anguissola it will be shown how her class as a noble woman and her piety in a Spain after Isabella, when the Virgin cult was flourishing, helped her to be recognized in court circles at a time when female artists were almost non-existent, and on the other hand, how she was restricted by her gender.In the case of El Greco the fact that he was a foreigner in Toledo at a time when the Counter Reformation was combined with a xenophobic hatred for Jews and Muslims, his rejection by King Phillip II and his patronage by clerics with whom he was surrounded had an influence on a creativity which nevertheless remained enigmatic.In the case of Francisco de Zurbaran the influence of his religious patrons on his work and life are more obvious: combining naturalism with religious sensibility, " conf orming to the guidelines, for counter reformation artists outlined by the Council of Trent." (Mans, 1) History of Spain Spain

Stagnant Sales Growth Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Stagnant Sales Growth - Research Proposal Example Particularly affected is the retail trade industry which comprises a large segment of consumer sales. This study will provide an insight and over view to answer the question, â€Å"How has the retail industry performed over 2008?† It will particularly address employment issues and factors that affect the retail industry There are a big number of consumers in US, a representative number of labor forces in the retail trade industry, and billions of dollar investments in retail industry that has been in one way or another adversely affected by the economic crisis. Archival information will be gathered from existing journals, web reports and information and cross referenced for validity. The number of literatures to be reviewed will depend on the availability of references and practical use to study. Research instruments to be used are data collection and gathering thru published literatures. Published data will come from reliable information providers and knowledgeable organization that can support information. Studies on previous sales growth of the retail industry will be reviewed and compared with the present situation. News, reports and other allied information about employment and sales in the industry will be shown. Similar situations in other countries will also be presented to show that this is a real situation. The review of literature supports the hypotheses statement, â€Å"Are sales and employment growth affected by the economic crisis.† The global economic crisis is an overused clichà ©, but it has made an impact on the retail trade industry. First, the growth of the retail industry felt the slump during the 2008 onwards, and it is forecast to move on till 2010. Second, employment was badly hurt by recession that cut offs are unavoidable in many retail institutions in the United States. These undue activities have affected the performance of the retail industry not only in